Bear cubs on road to recovery at Pocono Wildlife center

Bill Cameron

Monday

Jun 24, 2019 at 3:55 PMJun 24, 2019 at 10:27 PM

CHERRY VALLEY — A pair of starving black bear cubs have gotten a second chance at growing into adulthood, thanks to a state park ranger, the Pennsylvania Game Commission and a Monroe County wildlife center. The two once-hungry cubs are now on the road to recovery at the Pocono Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center.

“They are being stabilized, meaning they’ve been treated for any parasites or things like that,” said Pocono Wildlife Director Katherine Uhler on Monday. “They’re on a high-calorie diet of foods that are native and bear formula, which is something we ordered that is made just for bears.”

A forest ranger who also works as a deputy for the Game Commission discovered the two cubs in the Tuscarora State Forest on Wednesday after first finding their deceased mother sow nearby.

The cubs, who currently are about five months old, generally would not begin weening until early August. Both animals’ health had deteriorated significantly in the sow’s absence.

“They were in pretty bad shape,” Uhler said. “We’re not talking about just being skinny — they’re 30-40% underweight, which would kill a person.”

Game Commission officials were unable to determine the cause of the mother sow’s death due to decomposition, Uhler also said. The surviving offspring, a male and a female, were transported to Pocono Wildlife for intensive care.

The young female was captured first, on Wednesday, and weighed just 10.5 pounds. Her brother, weighing a slightly heavier 13 pounds, was captured the following day.

Every bear cub in Pennsylvania is born in January, Uhler noted. The cubs usually weigh about 25-30 pounds by this point in the year.

“That is entirely a result of the mother’s passing,” she added.

Both bears have since been moved to Pocono Wildlife’s bear enclosure, joining a previously captured cub that had suffered a broken arm. Uhler on Monday said that she planned to personally evaluate the animals’ ongoing recovery later that day.

Pocono Wildlife operates the only bear-specific rehabilitation facility in the state, Uhler said. The organization primarily serves Monroe, Lehigh, Northampton, Wayne, Pike and Luzerne counties but has also accepted animals from throughout the region.

“We are a nonprofit, all-volunteer organization,” she said. “We are not funded by the government in any way, shape or form, and survive solely on donations. Anyone who wants to help the bears can help by supporting their care.”

Donation information can be found online at poconowildlife.com or by visiting the Pocono Wildlife Facebook page.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.